Ethiopia Habtemariam was appointed president of Motown and executive vice president of Capitol Music Group in 2014. That same year, she oversaw Motown’s relocation to Los Angeles from New York.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson said the world lost an influential figure in the fight for civil rights and American politics. “An icon to the world and a lifelong friend to the NAACP, his contribution to moving our society toward justice is unparalleled,” Johnson declared. “In 2001, Jordan received the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal for a lifetime of social justice activism. His exemplary life will shine as a guiding light for all that seek truth and justice for all people.”
The nonprofit legal organization committed to exonerating wrongly convicted individuals also noted that Black people are more likely to be wrongly convicted of murder when the victim is White. Among Black people exonerated of murder convictions, approximately 31 percent were wrongly convicted of killing White people. However, only 15 percent of homicides by Black people involve White victims, the National Registry of Exonerations reported.
One of the best basketball players to ever live, Julius “Dr. J” Erving was born in Roosevelt, NY, 1950.
Protests and unrest in 2020 sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, shined an even brighter spotlight on police brutality against African Americans.
It’s a bit jarring. A New York City middle school band is murdering the Disney song “When You Wish Upon a Star.” By the time they’re through, you’d wish a dream-fulfilling star had given you earplugs. Still, they continue, inspired by their very patient music teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx). Jazz is the reason their instructor loves music not matter how screechy the band gets.
Spike Lee’s daughter and son have been chosen as the Golden Globe ambassadors to assist with the awards ceremony. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Tuesday morning that Satchel and Jackson Lee will assume the ambassador roles for the 78th annual Golden Globes Awards in February.
The Madison Group, a bipartisan, bicameral, and bicoastal government relations firm, is pleased to welcome Tiffany Harris, Esq. as director of Government Relations. Harris brings legislative policy and judiciary expertise to the Madison Group.
Gun violence spiked across the country in 2020, the most violent year in decades. 19,000 were killed in shootings, the highest death toll in 20 years (and that does not include gun suicides). Mass shootings — defined as four or more shot in an incident — also rose drastically to over 600.
Actor, director, and producer Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. was born in Mount Vernon, NY, 1954.
Record setting artist Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, NY, 1960.
The Episcopal Diocese of Texas acknowledges that its first bishop in 1859 was a slaveholder. An Episcopal church in New York City erects a plaque noting the building’s creation in 1810 was made possible by wealth resulting from slavery.
Dinkins was viewed as a compromise candidate during a time of turmoil in New York. Elected a year after the infamous 1989 “Central Park jogger” incident that led to the wrongful convictions of five Black and Hispanic boys, Dinkins proved to be a cautious and stoic figure who was a competent caretaker of the city, including its many fiscal, social and political challenges. Dinkins’ administration followed that of one of New York City’s most storied politicians, Ed Koch.
Dancer, actor, and comedian Sammy Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem, NY 1906.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity was founded on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, 1906